Trip-lock for coin-operated vending-machines.



No. 833,574. PATENTEDOGT.'16, 1906.

. k c. BIGBLOW. TRIP LOOK FOR 00m OPERATED VENDING MACHINES.

API-LIGATION FILED FEB. B. 1904.

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No. 833,574. PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

v GLBIGELOW. TRIP LOOK FOR 00m OPERATED VENDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. a. 1904. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- scribed, and as UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

WHITE, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

TRIP-LOCK FOR COIN-OPERATED VENDING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed February 8,1904. Serial No. 192,604.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE BIGELOW, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of ois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trip-Locks for Coin- Operated Vending-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention more particularly relates to coin-operated vending-machines having a series of hoppers or magazines which are caused to intermittently rotate around a common center by a clockwork-motor which is set in operation by the falling of the coin; and its object is to lock the tripping devices actuated by said coin after it has released the motor, so that it will intercept and by permitting the motor to move but so far'brings one of the hoppers into position where the commodity can every time be discharged therefrom and expelled from the machine and retained in such position until the ma chine is manipulated again. 1 This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully departicularly pointed out in the claims.

In the. drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lower part of a coin-operated vendingmachine having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the same, taken on dotted line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing, on a larger scale, a view of the inner side of the locking mechanism in a locked position. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the mechanism after being tripped by the coin. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section of said mechanism. 7

Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate a coin-operated vending-machine comprising, among other things, four equidistant hoppers or magazines A A A A, which are connected at their lower ends to and supported by a suitable rectangular platform B. This platform B has four arms projecting at right angles to each other and at equal distances apart, which extend out under the lower open ends of the magazines A and form trays 6, upon which the lowermost commodity stacked in said magazines rest, and said platform is suitably connected'to a vertical shaft C, extending centrally upward therethrough from a clockwork-motor D, located below.

In front of the mac e there is a deliverychute E, and as the hoppers revolve around shaft C the lowermost commodity stacked in each magazine and resting on the tray will as it passes over the open mouth of this chute be swept oil the tray by a stationary sweep F, suitably secured to and projecting to the rear from a metal plate forming the lower portion of the front of the machine, in a plane between the lower end of the magazine and its tray.

Now the object of the coin-actuated trip mechanism is to release the motor Whenever the coin which is inserted in the machine strikes it and permit the motor to operate just enough to cause one magazine to pass the sweep F and deliver but one specimen of the commodity into the deliver y-chute-in other words, to enable the magazines to be rotated around shaft C just the distance from center to center of said magazines. To accomplish this, I have provided each tray with an outwardly-projecting horizontal finger G and at the rear, and preferably near the right-hand corner of the machine, have located the mechanism which alternately locks and releases the operation of the machine by its engagement with said arms G successively. This locking mechanism comprises avertical supporting-p1ate a, of suitable design, that has a horizontal lug c projecting from its lower edge near one end, which is securely fastened by a screw or otherwise to a vertical post a, arising from the base of the machine. Near the'opposite end of this plate a and on the side thereof next the outercase of the machine the lower open end of the coin-chute d is secured, and pivoted to the opposite side of said plate, near the end thereof from which the lug 0 projects, is a pawl. This pawl'consists of a comparatively long horizontal arm 6, projecting from its pivot to a point below and m the same transverse plane as the lower end of chute d, whereupon it is provided with a lateral offset f, that extends underplate a, and the lower open end of chute (Z. able point between its pivot and its offset end f this pawl is provided with an upwandly-extending tooth g, which whensaid pawlis .at the limit of its upward movement is adapted to engage the single tooth h IOO At asuitof a ratchet h,

which latter is journaled on a suitable stud projecting from plate a opposite the coin chute. Made fast to ratchet h and journaled on the same stud is a pinion J, which is engaged by the gear I. Gear I is journaled on a stud 7c, projecting from plate a opposite the coin chute and preferably in the plane striking midway between the vertical sides of the same and sufficiently above the ofiset end of the pawl that its periphery will clear said. pawl when the latter is in its uppermost position. Secured to the side of this gear and journaled on the same stud is an intermittently-revolving trip K, which is provided with a suitable number of corresponding radiating equidistant arms. The pawl has in addition to arm 6 an arm m projecting upward at about an angle of about fortyfive degrees to said arm 6, but shorter than the same. \Vhen the pawl is at the limit of its upward movement, the extremity of arm m will just clear the periphery described by the arms of trip, and when the pawl has been moved by the coin falling upon the offsetf of arm 0 arm m will move into the space between the adjacent arms of the trip. In order to assist in automatically restoring the pawl to its normal position, it may be provided with a weighted arm extending from the central boss thereof in a direction opposite to arms e and m.

In operation the finger G of one of the trays will impinge against the lowermost arm of the trip, and the tooth of the ratchet, through the engagement of gear I with pinion J, will be kept in engagement with tooth g of the pawl, thus locking the trip and enabling it to hold the magazines stationary. WVhen, however, a coin falls upon the offset extremity ofarm e of the pawl, it moves said arm downward, thereby releasing the ratchet and permitting the trip to be rotated by the now unrestricted pin G, which thus liberates the magazines and lets them revolve until the pin of the next following tray comes in contact with the next following arm of the trip, which arrests its further progress and stops further movement of the magazine. This the trip will do because when it is moved by brushing past it of the first-mentioned pin G the arm m of the pawl is engaged by the arm of the trip and the pawl restored to its original position, so that when the ratchet h completes one revolution its tooth it will en age and be held by tooth g of the arm e of sad pawl.

What I claim as new is 1. In a coin-operated machine the combination with an intermittently-revoluble horizontal platform and a motor therefor, of a normally locked trip comprising a verticallydisposed revoluble star-wheel engaged by said platform, and a suitable pawl and ratchet operatively connected thereto, which awl when released by the falling coin releases said platform whose motion is imparted to said wheel to reset and lock the same and thereby arrest the further movement of said platform.

2. In a coin-operated machine the combination with an intermittently-revoluble horizontal latform, and a motor therefor, of a normally locked trip comprising a verticallydisposed revoluble star-wheel engaged by said platform, and a suitable pawl and ratchet operatively connected thereto, which pawl when released by the falling coin releases said platform whose motion is imparted to said wheel to reset and lock the same and thereby arrest the further movement of said platform.

3. In a coin-actuated machine the combination with an intermittently-revoluble horizontal platform, and a motor therefor, of a vertically-depressed normally locked trip comprising a revoluble star-wheel engaged by said platform, and a coin-actuated pawl and a ratchet operatively connected therewith, which pawl when depressed by the falling coin releases the trip and platform whereby the motion of the latter is imparted to said trip to reset and lock the same and thereby arrests the further movement of said platform.

4. In a coin-operated machine the combination with an intermittently-revoluble horizontal platform, and a motor therefor, of a vertically lepressed normally locked trip comprising a vertically disposed revoluble star-wheel engaged by said platform, and a coin-actuated pawl and ratchet operatively connected therewith, which pawl when depressed by the falling coin releases the trip and platform whereby the motion of the latter is imparted to said trip to reset and lock the same and thereby arrests the further movement of said platform.

5. In a coin-operated machine the combination with an intermittently-revoluble horizontal platform and a motor for revolving the same, of a vertically-depressed normally locked trip consisting of a revoluble starwheel engaged by said platform, and a coindepressible au'tomatically-returnable pawl and a ratchet operatively connected there with, which pawl when depressed by the falling coin releases the wheel and platform whereby the motion of the latter is imparted to said wheel to reset and lock the same and thereby arrests the further movement of said platform, and means for automatically returning said pawl to its normal position.

6. In a coin-operated machine the combination with an intermittently-revoluble horizontal platform, and amotor therefor, of a vertically-disposed normally locked trip engaged by said platform which trip when released by the falling coin releases said platform whose motion is imparted to said trip to reset and lock the same and thereby arrest the further movement of said platform.

nation with a revoluble horizontal platform, of a revoluble trip engaged by said platform having a series of e uidistant arms, and a coin-depressible pawl laving an arm projecting therefrom which is operatively connected to and locks said trip when at the limit of its upward movement, releases the said trip when depressed, and has its arm engaged by an arm of said trip and thereby restored to its original position when said trip revolves.

12. In a coin-operated machine, the combination with a revoluble horizontal platform, of a revoluble trip engaged by said platform having a series of equidistant arms, a ratchet having geared connection with said trip, a coin-depressible pawl having an arm projecting therefrom, which engages said ratchet and looks it and said trip when at the limit of its upward movement, releases said ratchet when depressed and has its arm engaged by an arm of said trip and restored to its original position thereby when said trip revolves.

13. A coin-operated vending-machine comprising an intermittently-revoluble horizontal platform, a motor for operating the same, a trip automatically revolved by said platform for alternately arresting and releasing said motor and the magazine actuated thereby, and a coin-actuated pawl, which, when depressed, releases said trip, and when at the limit of its upward movement locks the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set of October, 1903.

CLAUDE BIGELOW.

7. In a coin-operated machine the combination with a revoluble horizontal platform, of an intermittently-revolving trip engaged by said platform, and a coin-depressible pawl which releases said trip when depressed, and as said trip revolves is engaged and automatically restored thereby to its original position to lock said trip.

8. In a coin-operated machine, the combination with a revoluble horizontal platform, of a revoluble tri engaged by said platform, having a series of equidistant arms, a ratchet geared thereto, and a coin-depressible pawl which releases said ratchet when depressed, and engages and locks the same and said trip when at the limit of its upward movement.

9. In a coin-operated machine, the combi nation with a revoluble horizontal platform, of a revoluble trip engaged by said platform, having a series of equidistant arms, a ratchet geared thereto, and a coindepressible automatically returnable pawl which releases said ratchet when depressed, and engages and locks the same and said trip when at the limit of its upward movement.

10. In a coin-operated machine, the combination with a revoluble horizontal platform, of a revoluble trip engaged by said platform having a series of equidistant arms, a ratchet having geared connection with said trip, and having one tooth in its periphery, and a coindepressible pawl which has a single tooth and is adapted to engage said ratchet once during every revolution thereof when at the limit of its upward movement to lock the same, and

when depressed releases said ratchet and Witnesses:

'trip. E. K. LUNDY,

11. In a coin-operated machine the combi- O. M. WENNIOH. 

